Chapter 32
FISHER
Seeing my best friend so happy again has me feeling surprisingly choked up.
Noah grins as he spins his bride around on the dancefloor, both of them laughing. Maddie runs up and without hesitation they both reach out a hand to her and then it’s all three of them dancing.
I approach Ebba at the table and set a fresh glass of champagne in front of her before I kick out the chair beside her. There’s a wistful look on her face as she watches our friends and her brother and Whimsy on the dancefloor along with others.
“What are you thinking about?” I ask, bringing the beer I got to my lips.
She turns to me. “Love really is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?”
My heart clenches and my eyes flick over her. “It is.”
We haven’t had too much time to chat today, between getting ready, the ceremony—where she walked down on my arm—and all of the photos. Dinner was served a little while ago and we were both so hungry we stuffed our faces without saying a word.
Grabbing the bottom of her seat, I drag her closer to me. She raises a brow, a small smile pulling at her lips.
“Wanted you closer,” I mumble before I take her legs and place them in my lap. She’s kicked her shoes off beneath the table, and I’m sure her leg and feet are killing her but she hasn’t said a word. She’s kept her cane nearby today, which I’m grateful for. It helped ease my worries somewhat.
“You don’t need to do that,” she says, trying to pull her legs off my lap.
I tighten my hold on her ankles. “Let me take care of my wife.”
She reaches for the champagne glass and takes a sip. “You’ve got to stop calling me that.”
“Wife?” I clarify, even though I know that’s exactly what she means and she nods.
“But you are my wife. At least for the next five-ish months.”
She swallows down another gulp of champagne. “I told the girls about us when we were together before and about the baby.”
I stare at her in shock. “You never told them before?”
She scoffs. “No.” At my insistent, surprised look she adds, “It was too painful. I confirmed something had happened but nothing other than that.”
Our breakup was devastating to me, but I don’t think I realized how hard it was on her too.
Losing the baby and our relationship in one fell swoop was a lot to deal with.
If I could do it over again, I would’ve pushed her harder to talk to me, to work things out and grieve together, but back then I just didn’t know what else to do but listen and give her the space she was asking for.
“It felt like it was finally time to be honest. Clearly, they all figured out something was going on between us.” She gives a small laugh. “Except maybe Noah. He’s pretty clueless.”
“That he is,” I agree, rubbing her feet.
She lets out a soft moan. “You have no idea how good that feels.”
I smile, pleased that I can do something to make her feel better. “I confess, I have an ulterior motive.”
She finishes her glass of champagne and turns curious eyes my way. “And what’s that?”
“I want you to dance with me.”
“Fisher,” she starts, but I cut her off.
“Please, just one dance.”
“One?” She purses her lips like she doesn’t believe me.
“Just one. Unless you decide you want more.”
She heaves a tiny sigh. “I guess I can do that.”
I smile in victory.
Ebba finally lets me get her on the dancefloor and it doesn’t escape my notice she chooses to do so when it’s not a slow song playing. But I don’t complain. I just want to be with her.
We’ve been dancing no more than thirty seconds when the song abruptly cuts off. Both of us look in the direction of the DJ and I’m not surprised to find all our friends and her brother standing by the booth with triumphant expressions.
The slow song begins, and Ebba shakes her head, laughing softly under her breath.
“Such meddlers. All of them.”
“They love us. They just want us to be happy.”
She looks up at me with warm brown eyes that take my breath away. “I know, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s true.”
I slide my hand down to rest on the curve of her waist, my fingers nearly—but not quite—touching her ass. I’ve never ached for a woman the way I do Ebba. She stole a piece of me the first time I ever laid eyes on her.
“Should we give them a show?” I tease.
A shiver runs down her spine and hesitant eyes hold my gaze. “What do you have in mind?”
“Do you trust me?”
My words remind me of a few days prior when she asked me the same thing before she cut my hair.
She nods.
I pull her in tighter, so our bodies are flush. A tiny breath puffs out of her. I slide my fingers slightly lower, grazing her ass this time, and then duck my head to her neck so I can speak against her skin. “I’m going to turn you so you can see them.”
I do just that, swinging her around to the right and dipping her down. When I bring her back up, I hold her even closer.
“Were they watching?” I whisper in her ear.
She nods. “And clapping. Should we be embarrassed?”
I snicker. “Hell no, we’re not the ones clapping over our friends dancing.”
“They really are a little crazy, aren’t they?” She voices, peeking at them over my shoulder. “Oh my God, they’re exchanging money. They put bets on us!”
I throw my head back and laugh at that. “Those fuckers.”
“I can’t believe them,” she huffs, and I’m certain if she could stomp her foot she would, but since we’re dancing, she’s otherwise occupied.
“Want to give them another show?” I ask.
She smiles up at me, mischief glimmering in her eyes. “Sure.”
“Are you okay if I kiss you?”
She presses her lips together, eyes dropping from mine. I fully expect her to say no, but she gives a single nod.
“I need you to say it out loud, baby,” I croon, tracing my thumb over her plump bottom lip.
“Yes.”
My mouth easily finds hers. I wrap one hand around the nape of her neck and groan at the taste of her, something sweet like cherry from her lip gloss and that thing that is entirely Ebba.
A tiny moan escapes her, and my dick is instantly, embarrassingly hard.
I swear this girl just has to breathe and I’m turned on.
It’s pathetic how down bad I am for her. Do I care, though? Not at all. She deserves to know how much I desire her. That I would crawl across coals for her.
She deepens the kiss, and my own lips open in surprise. She pushes up into me, seeking more, and I’m happy to give it to her.
I want this—her—for the rest of my life.
I’ll certainly respect whatever she decides, but I selfishly hope at the end of all this she still wants to be married to me.
She pulls away first, giving me a hazy-eyed look.
“Are they still watching?”
Oh, right. That wasn’t a kiss for the sake of a kiss. It was fake for them.
I glance conspicuously to my left and groan. “They’re exchanging more money.”
“Those bitches,” she laughs into my shoulder. “I can’t believe them.”
The song comes to an end, and I expect Ebba to pull away, she only said she’d give me one dance after all, but instead she makes no move to break apart.
“The wedding was beautiful, wasn’t it?” she asks, laying her head against my chest.
“It was,” I agree.
“I’m so happy for them.”
“Me too.” I settle the side of my cheek on top of her head and close my eyes.
We move slowly to the song, not saying a word for a bit. She slowly pulls away to look up at me, though.
“Yeah?” I prompt, cupping her cheek.
“I was dreading this,” she admits. “Walking down the aisle with you, taking photos, all of it. But today has been a good day and it’s because I’ve been with you.” She shakes her head. “I hate how easy it is to like you.”
I can’t help but laugh. “Liking me is a bad thing?”
“Not exactly.” She purses her lips, and I can practically see the wheels turning in her head. “I think I feel like there’s something wrong with me—the way I’ve been so angry at you for so long and now suddenly I’m just okay being with you.”
My heart pangs with hurt. I understand why she has her feelings, but it doesn’t make it hurt me any less.
Clearing my throat, I say, “It’s okay to change your mind about me.”
“I know.” Her hand squeezes against my shoulder. “I just … I’m so fucking scared, Fisher.”
“Scared of what, baby?” I raise her chin with my index finger when her head dips.
Her eyes pool with tears. “Having my heart broken again.”
“Oh, baby.” I hold her closer. There are so many things from that time that I wish I could do over again.
I would give anything to have pushed harder for her to talk to me.
Instead, I let her retreat into her grief while I did the same with mine.
“I won’t. And if it makes you feel better, my heart has only ever been yours.
I gave it to you, and I never want it back. ”
“You can’t mean that.”
I cup her face in my hands. We’ve both stopped swaying to the music but still stand in the center of the dancefloor clinging to each other.
“I do.”
She shakes her head. “You can’t be saying what I think you’re saying.”
“I am.”
“No,” she insists, shaking her head.
“Yes.” I hate that frustration laces my tone, but I can’t stop it. “I haven’t been with a woman since you. I haven’t wanted to.”
“No,” she squeaks again, a tear skating down her cheek.
I wipe it away and keep going. “I haven’t had sex with another woman.
I haven’t even kissed another woman. The idea of being with anyone other than you makes me sick to my stomach.
I’m not trying to pressure you into anything you don’t want and aren’t ready for.
I’m just trying to be honest. It’s always been you for me, Ebba. Always.”
“I’m sorry.” She shakes her head and steps away. “I ... I need a minute.”
I stand frozen, watching her run from the room and out the doors. The desire to follow her is so strong I can barely resist, but something deep down tells me to give her space.
The girls quickly follow her, and I breathe a sigh of relief that she’ll at least have them right now.
I step off the dancefloor and almost immediately Elias is in front of me. “Dude, what the fuck did you say to my sister?”
Noah gives him a slight shove away from me. “Calm down. Give him a chance to talk.”
I plant my hands on my hips, shaking my head. “The truth. That it’s always been her for me. That I haven’t been with anyone since her.”
“Oh.” Elias immediately loses the fight in him.
“Yeah.” I eye the door she disappeared through. “Oh.”